Nuggets add length and defense to match new super teams out West

LAS VEGAS — Good things come to those who wait.

As rival franchises sent shockwaves throughout the league with their additions of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Anthony Davis, the Nuggets carefully plotted their next move that would bolster an already deep rotation. It came to fruition Monday as Denver acquired Jerami Grant from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a trade that won’t carry the magnitude of the Leonard-level earthquake that hit the league and Las Vegas last weekend, but one that will strengthen the Nuggets’ chances in a loaded Western Conference which seems up for grabs for the first time in the last several seasons.

Denver absorbed Grant, a 6-foot-9 forward who can play both frontcourt positions, into its $12.8 million trade exception created in the deal that sent Wilson Chandler to Philadelphia last July which was set to expire today. The Nuggets also sent a 2020 first round selection that according to Zach Lowe is protected for picks 1-10 over the next three drafts and then converts to two second-rounders in exchange for the 25-year-old. Denver then reportedly rescinded the qualifying offer it made to Trey Lyles which will make the forward a free agent and likely end his tenure with the Nuggets after two seasons. The Grant acquisition was first reported by ESPN.

In Grant, Denver gets a piece for both its present and future. Grant is a rangy forward and natural fit next to Nikola Jokic who will give the Nuggets added versatility on both ends of the floor. During the 2018-19 season, Grant, who started 77 of the 80 games he appeared in but is likely set for a more limited role with Denver off the bench behind Paul Millsap, averaged 13.6 points on 49.7% shooting from the field and 39.2% from 3, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and .8 steals per game.

Defensively, he’s a perfect player to pair with Jokic. Grant can guard three or four positions and is a body that the Nuggets can throw at Leonard, George, LeBron James and the other premier wings Denver will face navigating the Western Conference gantlet. At 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Grant can play center in small ball lineups and also defend the perimeter. This deal could signal a slightly reduced role for Mason Plumlee next season.

In an NBA TV interview on Sunday during the Nuggets’ Summer League opener, Michael Malone credited Denver’s jump from the bottom-10 to the ninth-best defensive team in the league last season when speaking about his team’s rise up the Western Conference.

“My first three years we were one of the top offenses in the NBA and for us to make the jump we did, it was on the defensive end,” Malone said. “We went from 30th in 3-point defense two years ago, last season we were first in 3-point defense, which is a remarkable jump. And our guys bought in.”

Grant adds to what will already be a solid defense returning next season captained by Millsap and Gary Harris.

Grant will reinforce the Nuggets’ defense but will add to their attack as well. He shot 39.2% from 3 last season and is an above-average corner shooter who converted on 40% of his 3s of that variety last season, a mark which slotted Grant in the 66th percentile among big men, per Cleaning The Glass.  He knows his role on offense too, and don’t expect him to supplant Jokic, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris or Paul Millsap in Denver’s scoring hierarchy. Grant is also a plus-athlete and leaper and solid rebounder too.

Remember the synergy Jokic and Kenneth Faried enjoyed beginning in 2016-17 when the Nuggets initially hatched their offensive identity? Grant can play a similar role in the dunker spot crashing the glass, skying for lobs and receiving dump off passes from Denver’s All-NBA big man but also packs the 3-point shooting and floor spacing that Faried lacked.

The Nuggets’ move to acquire Grant could have long-term effects. Grant, who will arrive in Denver having appeared in the playoffs in each of the last three seasons with the Thunder where he played well, has just one year remaining on his contract and a player option for next season valued at $9.3 million. But his fit going forward next to Jokic and his versatility which is suited well for the modern NBA makes you think he could be sticking around in Denver long-term. Millsap, who will be 34-years-old at the start of next season, will be entering the final year of his contract too and Grant could eat up real estate at the power forward position full-time going forward if the Nuggets choose to re-sign him.

The move means the Nuggets’ rotation next season could include Jokic, Murray, Harris, Millsap, Will Barton, Malik Beasley, Monte Morris, Mason Plumlee, Torrey Craig and Grant. It’s a deep and adaptable lineup that also as of now includes Juancho Hernangomez, Michael Porter Jr. and Jarred Vanderbilt. The Nuggets can bring arguably the most talented roster from top to bottom in the league to training camp this fall.

In pouncing on Grant, who the Thunder relinquished in what could be looked at as a salary dump which will save Oklahoma City $39 million in luxury tax payments, the Nuggets keep pace in the Western Conference. The Jazz built up their rotation this summer by bringing in Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic. The Lakers added Davis before their co-tenants at Staples Center made one of the bigger power plays in recent NBA history by moving to add Leonard and George.

While those transactions ran their course, Denver stayed patient. The Nuggets were comfortable returning much of the same rotation from last season’s 54-win team, but have pledged throughout the offseason that they’d still be aggressive in improving their roster.

That patience paid off.